Racine Unified School District elections (2016)
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The 2016 election for all nine seats on the Racine Unified School District was the district's first using a by district system rather than electing members at-large. A primary election was held on February 16, 2016, for Districts 6 and 7 with the general election on April 5, 2016. Board candidates were required to live in their election districts. The change was enshrined in state law through legislation sponsored by State Sen. Van Wanggaard (R) and State Rep. Tom Weatherson (R), who represent districts that include Racine. The election districts approved by the school board on October 27, 2015, led to three races in 2016 where three incumbents were assured defeat because they faced fellow board members.[1][2]
Candidates backed by the Wisconsin AFL-CIO won seven of the board's nine seats in 2016. Michelle Duchow in District 1 was not endorsed due to her unopposed race and District 9 winner Robert Wittke was endorsed by The Journal Times as a candidate who would stand up to unions.
District 1 candidate Michelle Duchow was the only unopposed candidate in the race. Dennis Wiser defeated fellow incumbent John Koetz in District 2, while incumbent Michael Frontier ousted fellow board member Pamala Handrow in District 3. Julie McKenna defeated Kim Plache in an all-incumbent race for District 4. Challenger Steven Hooper defeated incumbent Chuck Goodremote for the District 5 seat. Newcomer Matthew Hanser narrowly defeated board president Melvin Hargrove in District 8. Incumbent Don Nielsen finished first in the District 7 race against challenger Brian O'Connell. Nielsen and O'Connell defeated Adrienne Moore in the primary. Three newcomers were guaranteed to join the board after this election with no incumbents running in Districts 1, 6 and 9. John Heckenlively defeated Jim Venturini for the District 6 seat, while Robert Wittke defeated Kurt Squire in District 9.[2] Ernest Ni'A was defeated by Heckenlively and Venturini in the District 6 primary. Bryn Biemeck was removed from the ballot in District 6 following a Wisconsin Government Accountability Board appeal by the Racine Education Association.[3]
The board was embroiled in a heated debate over filling a vacancy during the summer of 2015. Lisa Parham's resignation on June 9, 2015, led to a vacancy that would not be filled until John Koetz's appointment on October 26, 2015. Board members were split 4-4 during votes in June and July 2015 without a mechanism for breaking a tie. A state law was passed on October 23, 2015, allowing Hargrove to appoint a replacement. State legislators included a provision requiring board members to develop a new tie-breaking policy by July 1, 2016.[4]
Learn more about issues facing the district in the What was at stake? section.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
Members of the Racine Board of Education are typically elected to three-year terms on a staggered basis. Four seats were up for election on April 1, 2014, as that election included a race for an unexpired one-year term. Three seats were up for election on April 7, 2015. In July 2015, the Wisconsin State Legislature passed legislation changing the district's elections from at-large to by district. This change meant that all nine seats were on the ballot in 2016, rather than the usual three seats. Districts 2, 3 and 7 were up for one-year terms, Districts 4, 5 and 6 were up for two-year terms, and Districts 1, 8 and 9 were up for three-year terms to facilitate staggered elections starting in 2017.[1]
To be elected to the board, candidates must reside in the boundaries of the school district for 28 days prior to the filing of a "Declaration of Candidacy" form. Furthermore, at the time of taking office, each candidate must be a resident of the apportioned area he or she is elected to represent.[5] Candidates must also be 18 years old and citizens of the United States. Unless pardoned, those who have been convicted of a felony are not eligible for election to office in Wisconsin.[6]
Candidates had until January 5, 2016, to collect between 100 and 200 signatures for their nomination papers. The signatures had to come from residents of the district where the candidate sought election, but the petition circulators were not required to reside in the district or municipality. Circulators were required to be U.S. citizens and 18 years old or older.[7]
Candidates and results
District 1 (Three-year term)
Results
| Racine Unified School District, District 1 General Election, 3-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Michelle Duchow (unopposed) |
100.00% | 2,749 |
| Total Votes | 2,749 | |
| Source: Racine Unified School District, "Racine Board of Education Official Election Results," accessed June 15, 2016 | ||
Candidates
Michelle Duchow 
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District 2 (One-year term)
Results
| Racine Unified School District, District 2 Special Election, 1-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Dennis Wiser Incumbent |
52.67% | 2,249 |
| John Koetz Incumbent | 47.33% | 2,021 |
| Total Votes | 4,270 | |
| Source: Racine Unified School District, "Racine Board of Education Official Election Results," accessed June 15, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| John Koetz | Dennis Wiser
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District 3 (One-year term)
Results
| Racine Unified School District, District 3 Special Election, 1-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Michael Frontier Incumbent |
64.71% | 1,850 |
| Pamala Handrow Incumbent | 35.29% | 1,009 |
| Total Votes | 2,859 | |
| Source: Racine Unified School District, "Racine Board of Education Official Election Results," accessed June 15, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Michael Frontier
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Pamala Handrow | ||
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District 4 (Two-year term)
Results
| Racine Unified School District, District 4 Special Election, 2-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Julie McKenna Incumbent |
51.13% | 2,293 |
| Kim Plache Incumbent | 48.87% | 2,192 |
| Total Votes | 4,485 | |
| Source: Racine Unified School District, "Racine Board of Education Official Election Results," accessed June 15, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Kim Plache | Julie McKenna
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District 5 (Two-year term)
Results
| Racine Unified School District, District 5 Special Election, 2-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Steven Hooper |
55.20% | 2,994 |
| Chuck Goodremote Incumbent | 44.80% | 2,430 |
| Total Votes | 5,424 | |
| Source: Racine Unified School District, "Racine Board of Education Official Election Results," accessed June 15, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Chuck Goodremote | Steven Hooper
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District 6 (Two-year term)
Results
| Racine Unified School District, District 6 Special Election, 2-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| John Heckenlively |
52.47% | 923 |
| Jim Venturini | 47.53% | 836 |
| Total Votes | 1,759 | |
| Source: Racine Unified School District, "Racine Board of Education Official Election Results," accessed June 15, 2016 | ||
| Racine Unified School District, District 6 Special Primary Election, 2-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| John Heckenlively |
40.28% | 201 |
| Jim Venturini |
32.67% | 163 |
| Ernest Ni'A | 25.85% | 129 |
| Write-in votes | 1.2% | 6 |
| Total Votes (100) | 499 | |
| Source: Racine County Elections, "4th Unofficial Election Results 02-16-2016," accessed February 16, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| John Heckenlively
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Jim Venturini | ||
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Defeated in the primary
| Ernest Ni'A | |
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Removed from ballot
| Bryn Biemeck | |
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District 7 (One-year term)
Results
| Racine Unified School District, District 7 Special Election, 1-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Don Nielsen Incumbent |
59.17% | 1,820 |
| Brian O'Connell | 40.83% | 1,256 |
| Total Votes | 3,076 | |
| Source: Racine Unified School District, "Racine Board of Education Official Election Results," accessed June 15, 2016 | ||
| Racine Unified School District, District 7 Special Primary Election, 1-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Don Nielsen Incumbent |
43.52% | 420 |
| Brian O'Connell |
29.33% | 283 |
| Adrienne Moore | 26.42% | 255 |
| Write-in votes | 0.73% | 7 |
| Total Votes (100) | 965 | |
| Source: Racine County Elections, "4th Unofficial Election Results 02-16-2016," accessed February 16, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Don Nielsen
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Brian O'Connell | ||
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Defeated in the primary
| Adrienne Moore | |
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District 8 (Three-year term)
Results
| Racine Unified School District, District 8 General Election, 3-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Matthew Hanser |
50.19% | 2,196 |
| Melvin Hargrove Incumbent | 49.81% | 2,179 |
| Total Votes | 4,375 | |
| Source: Racine Unified School District, "Racine Board of Education Official Election Results," accessed June 15, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Melvin Hargrove | Matthew Hanser
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District 9 (Three-year term)
Results
| Racine Unified School District, District 9 General Election, 3-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Robert Wittke |
61.42% | 3,238 |
| Kurt Squire | 38.58% | 2,034 |
| Total Votes | 5,272 | |
| Source: Racine Unified School District, "Racine Board of Education Official Election Results," accessed June 15, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Kurt Squire | Robert Wittke
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Additional elections
- See also: Wisconsin elections, 2016
The general election for Racine's school board shared the ballot with city council and county board races. The April 2016 ballot also included the state's presidential primary, and races for state and county courts.[8]
Key deadlines
The following dates are key deadlines for Wisconsin school board elections in 2016:[9]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| January 5, 2016 | Candidate filing deadline |
| January 26, 2016 | Referendum submission deadline |
| February 8, 2016 | Pre-primary election campaign finance deadline |
| February 16, 2016 | Primary Election |
| March 28, 2016 | Pre-general election campaign finance deadline |
| April 5, 2016 | Election Day |
| April 25, 2016 | Board members take office |
| July 15, 2016 | Post-election campaign finance deadline |
District map
The map below displays the voting districts for the Racine Board of Education.
Endorsements
General election
The Wisconsin AFL-CIO endorsed the following candidates for the April 5 general election:[10]
- District 1: No endorsement
- District 2: Dennis Wiser (i)
- District 3: Michael Frontier (i)
- District 4: Julie McKenna (i)
- District 5: Steven Hooper
- District 6: John Heckenlively
- District 7: Don Nielsen (i)
- District 8: Matthew Hanser
- District 9: Kurt Squire
The Journal Times published the following endorsements on April 3, 2016:[11]
- District 1: No endorsement
- District 2: John Koetz (i)
- District 3: Pamala Handrow (i)
- District 4: Kim Plache (i)
- District 5: Chuck Goodremote (i)
- District 6: Jim Venturini
- District 7: Brian O'Connell
- District 8: Melvin Hargrove (i)
- District 9: Robert Wittke
In issuing these endorsements, the paper's editorial board made the following comments:
| “ |
It is a historic opportunity for area voters to reclaim control of the district from the union, which has obstructed changes by the superintendent, threatened her with a vote of no-confidence and dragged its feet to preserve the union’s power at the expense of district parents and their children. We respect the work of our teachers. We have many good ones in our schools, but they, too, are often poorly served by the actions of the militant leaders of the union. [12] |
” |
| —The Journal Times (2016), [11] | ||
Primary election
John Heckenlively received an endorsement from the Racine Education Association (REA) on February 4, 2016.[13]
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $20,459.28 and spent a total of $17,726.64 as of April 1, 2016, according to the Racine Unified School District Clerk for School Board Elections.[14]
The first campaign finance deadline for candidates in this race was February 8, 2016. Candidates had to file pre-election reports for the general election by March 28, 2016. Any candidate spending or receiving more than $2,000 is required to file a campaign finance report with the Racine Unified School District. If a candidate does not spend or receive at least $2,000, they are able to file as exempt from campaign finance reporting.[15]
General election
District 1
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
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| Michelle Duchow | Exempt | ||
District 2
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
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| John Koetz (incumbent) | $2,455.00 | $2,366.88 | $131.34 |
| Dennis Wiser (incumbent) | $184.29 | $477.40 | $300.00 |
District 3
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Frontier (incumbent) | $4,455.01 | $4,332.55 | $122.46 |
| Pamala Handrow (incumbent) | $1,200.00 | $1,299.76 | $154.33 |
District 4
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Julie McKenna (incumbent) | $1,035.00 | $607.12 | $798.04 |
| Kim Plache (incumbent) | $1,500.00 | $1,292.06 | $1,500.00 |
District 5
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chuck Goodremote (incumbent) | $2,500.00 | $2,309.77 | $203.26 |
| Steven Hooper (incumbent) | Exempt | ||
District 6
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Heckenlively | $2,359.60 | $1,727.20 | $649.65 |
| Jim Venturini | Exempt | ||
District 7
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Don Nielsen (incumbent) | Exempt | ||
| Brian O'Connell | Exempt | ||
District 8
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melvin Hargrove (incumbent) | $0.00 | $400.00 | $1,671.54 |
| Matthew Hanser | $2,298.22 | $1,543.10 | $755.12 |
District 9
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kurt Squire | $2,472.16 | $1,370.80 | $1,101.36 |
| Robert Wittke | $0.00 | $0.00 | $411.19 |
Primary election
District 6
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Heckenlively | $1,112.60 | $268.63 | $861.22 |
| Ernest Ni'A | $3,541.56 | $800.00 | $3,491.56 |
| Jim Venturini | Exempt | ||
District 7
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Don Nielsen (i) | Exempt | ||
| Adrienne Moore | $806.57 | $847.07 | -$40.50 |
| Brian O'Connell | Exempt | ||
Past elections
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What was at stake?
Candidate survey
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Governing majority
The Racine Board of Education voted unanimously on 84.6 percent of its votes between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2015. This percentage represented a 12.7 percent decrease from the previous year. The board approved 75 of 78 motions (96.1 percent) recorded in 2015, excluding procedural, roll call and adjournment votes. These votes were counted from executive, special and regularly scheduled sessions, and excludes committee meetings.
- When the board did not vote unanimously:
- Don Nielsen had the fewest "Yes" votes (50) of any board member who served the entirety of 2015 on the board
- Nielsen, Dennis Wiser and Julie McKenna voted "No" together on seven of the 12 votes that were not unanimous. Michael Frontier joined this minority on four occasions.
- After John Koetz joined the board, he joined Melvin Hargrove, Pamala Handrow, Chuck Goodremote and Kim Plache as the majority on all four divided votes at the board's special meeting on October 27, 2015.
The voting data indicated that Nielsen, Wiser and McKenna represented a minority faction during board votes on district employment policies, salaries and electoral reforms. Hargrove, Handrow, Goodremote, Plache and Koetz represented the majority on these topics in 2015.
Issues in the election
Union challenges to candidate filings
The Racine Education Association (REA) announced official challenges to the filing paperwork of four candidates on January 8, 2016. The challenges were issued to nominating petitions for District 2 incumbent John Koetz, District 3 incumbent Pamala Handrow and District 6 challengers Ernest Ni'A and Bryn Biemeck. The REA's complaints noted illegible names, addresses outside of a candidate's election district and potential forgery. Ni'A told The Journal Times that the REA used nomination paper challenges to assist their preferred candidates.[16] On January 12, 2016, district officials announced that all four candidates had sufficient paperwork to qualify for the ballot.[17] The REA and the Racine Educational Assistants Association announced plans to appeal the district's decision to the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board (GAB) on January 18, 2016.[18]
The GAB determined that Ni'A's 168 valid signatures were enough to stay on the ballot. The board's January 22 decision removed Biemeck from the ballot because they found only 99 valid signatures, one short of the minimum threshold.[3]
Board deadlock on vacant seat
School board members were divided as they tried to fill the vacant seat left by Lisa Parham's resignation in June 2015. The board was unable to select a replacement after 24 rounds of anonymous voting during a meeting on July 2, 2015. The board's secret vote was found to be counter to a legal opinion issued by former Wisconsin Attorney General Bronson La Follette in 1976.[19] Board members said secret ballots had been used for years, and they had never realized the process was not legal. “Since I’ve been on the board, whenever we’ve had to fill a vacancy or when we’ve done board elections, it’s always been secret ballot,” said Board President Melvin Hargrove.[19][20]
Another 11 rounds of voting were unable to select Parham's replacement on July 7, 2015. The ballots included board member names to comply with the aforementioned legal opinion. Board minutes from July 7 showed a board divided between supporters of John Koetz and former board member Wally Rendón with neither candidate earning approval from a majority of the board.[21]
State law provided no remedy for Racine's deadlock until the signing of Assembly Bill 325 by Gov. Scott Walker (R) on October 23, 2015. This legislation, introduced by State Sen. Van Wanggaard (R) and State Rep. Thomas Weatherston (R), allowed the board president to fill vacant seats if the board cannot select a replacement in the 60-day period following the vacancy's creation. The law expired on April 12, 2016, and included a provision requiring districts to develop their own policies for filling vacancies by July 1, 2016.[4]
Board President Melvin Hargrove used the power created by Assembly Bill 325 to appoint Koetz to the vacant seat on October 26, 2015. Hargrove said that the public's frustration with the board deadlock and the need for a full board to deal with district issues led to his appointment of Koetz.[22] Naomi Baden of the Racine Education UniServ Council criticized the appointment in an interview with The Journal Times. "It’s a sad day for democracy when a school board president gets to stack the deck on the Board of Ed...The only real solution to this kind of autocracy is for the citizens of Racine to elect a new school board in April," said Baden.[22]
Changes to school board elections
The district's school board elections shifted from at-large to by district starting in 2016 due to a state law passed in July 2015. All nine board seats were up for election in 2016 with each seat located in a newly created geographic district. State Sen. Wanggaard (R) and State Rep. Weatherston (R) wrote the legislation specifically for Racine with language requiring by-district elections for cities with populations between 75,000 and 100,000 residents encompassing at least two villages. This legislation was written in the wake of an effort by nearby communities to break away from the district. State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) argued that the bill would provide equal representation to all parts of the district. State Rep. Cory Mason (D) opposed the measure as "an assault on local control" that invalidated previous election results.[23]
In August 2015, school board members debated how to create board districts by the state's deadline of November 1, 2015. Dennis Wiser proposed hiring an outside firm to draw the boundaries for board approval. He argued that an outside firm could simplify the drafting process by reviewing the community's needs. Wiser's proposal was defeated in a 4-3 vote, and the board voted 5-2 to create a seven-member Apportionment Committee to propose boundaries for district seats. Melvin Hargrove, Chuck Goodremote, Pamala Handrow, Kim Plache and Julie McKenna voted for the committee proposal, while Wiser and Michael Frontier opposed the measure. Hargrove concluded that the committee would be more transparent than an outside firm. This committee consisted of three board members, one attorney, one district employee and two community members.[24]
The committee submitted two maps to the board and public review of the proposals began at an October 5 school board meeting. Each board seat represents approximately 15,450 residents. All nine seats were up for election in 2016 with three seats up for one-year terms and three seats up for two-year terms to facilitate staggered elections starting in 2017. Both maps included five seats for the City of Racine with the Villages of Caledonia and Mount Pleasant each representing a majority of the population for one seat. Each proposal had two board seats representing sections of the city where minority residents are a majority of the population. The city's chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People lobbied for three districts referred to as majority-minority districts.[25] During a special board meeting on October 27, 2015, the board voted 5-4 to approve the Proposal 5 map. Chuck Goodremote, Melvin Hargrove, Pamala Handrow, John Koetz and Kim Plache voted for the map, while Dennis Wiser, Don Nielsen, Michael Frontier and Julie McKenna voted for an alternate proposal.[1]
Want to see how this election related to state and national trends on this topic? Ballotpedia tracked this issue in the 2016 election cycle so you can see the connections and impact on this race in context.
Changes to employee handbook
In April 2015, Superintendent Lolli Haws proposed several changes to the employee handbook and garnered negative feedback from unions associated with the district. The unions' biggest criticism was that Haws had talked to local media before she had discussed the proposed changes with the school board or staff.[26]
The president of the Racine Education Association called Haws' actions "truly shocking," and said they showed "complete disregard for RUSD educators and our elected officials."[26]
Haws said that district administration was sincerely seeking input on the recommended changes. "My goal is always to be open and transparent with our School Board, our staff and our community,” she said.[26]
Haws tried to discuss the suggested changes with the board the same day she spoke to local media, but the board delayed the discussion until members were given more time to review the recommendations.[27] None of the board members criticized Haws for talking to the media before they had a chance to review the changes.[26]
“I think it’s a great starting point and I hope the unions can sit down and seriously look at it,” board member Don Nielsen said.[26]
The suggested changes included removing advantages for senior applicants when filling open positions, implementing a standard, flat hourly wage for any extra work teachers do beyond their normal work hours to replace the current practice of using salary percentages, offering more personal days each year and increasing financial penalties for teachers who leave their jobs before the school year ends.[27]
Haws said employees would be able to give feedback on the changes but that the changes could no longer be negotiated.[27] “We don’t believe that this handbook and the language in the handbook should be subjected to any mediated, negotiated, union-like, [before] Act 10 kind of process,” said Haws.[26]
In May 2015, the board voted to down a motion to remove a section of the handbook that outlined the process of changing it, which included seeking advice from all employees who wished to weigh in. The motion was brought by Board President Melvin Hargrove and was voted down 5-4, with new member Lisa Parham casting the last no vote.[28]
More than 200 people attended the board meeting to hear the vote, and many cheered Parham as she decided the motion. Hargrove introduced the motion by saying the current process was likely illegal under Act 10 and that it was irresponsible to keep it on the books. He also said there should be a process to allow non-union employees to weigh in on changes to the handbook.[28]
“We are the board, we control the handbook. Nothing gets done with that handbook unless we say so. So what is the harm with cooperating with people and asking for their opinion?” asked board member Don Nielsen.[28]
That vote left the handbook unchanged. The board tried to discuss further changes to the handbook in August 2015, but two members did not attend the regularly scheduled meeting. Because two other members were on vacation at the time, this move left the board without a quorum and unable to meet.[29]
The Racine Education Association called on board members to skip the meeting so the changes could not be discussed or voted on. Dennis Wiser and Julie McKenna did that, but maintained they made their decisions independent of the union. Wiser and McKenna said they were unhappy with how the proposed changes to the handbook had moved forward. In a published statement, they said the proposed changes had not been reviewed by the Governance Committee, which would have been the proper procedure. They also said that by not attending the meeting, they were giving district officials more time to come up with a better solution.[29]
Due to the lack of quorum, other agenda items could not be discussed. Those items included approving new hires and setting up a committee to draw up school board districts, which was dictated by law in the state budget passed in July 2015. Wiser said he considered attending the meeting just to vote on those items, but decided against it. He thought he would be "trapped" into voting on the handbook as well.[29]
A special board meeting was scheduled for August 20, 2015, to discuss the unresolved items on the agenda. Wiser and McKenna, however, left that meeting before the board could vote on the handbook changes or on changes to employee raises. Both members made motions to strike the raise issue from the agenda or to postpone it to the end of the meeting. Those motions were voted down, and the members decided to leave the meeting rather than be forced to discuss those issues. McKenna said she emailed her fellow board members prior to the meeting, asking that those items be struck from the agenda in order to discuss the new hires and school board district boundaries. She said when that did not happen, her only choice was to leave the meeting.[30]
About the district
The Racine Unified School District is located in Racine, which is the seat of government for Racine County in southeastern Wisconsin. Racine County was home to 195,163 residents in 2014, according to the United States Census Bureau.[31] The district was the fifth-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 20,301 students.[32]
Demographics
Higher education achievement
Racine County underperformed compared to Wisconsin as a whole in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 23.0 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 26.8 percent for the state as a whole.[31]
Median household income
The median household income in Racine County from 2009 to 2013 was $54,090, compared to $52,413 for Wisconsin.[31] During that same time period, the median household income for the entire United States was $53,046.[33]
Poverty rate
From 2009 to 2013, the poverty rate in Racine County was 13.3 percent. During that same time period, the poverty rate was 13.0 percent for the entire state, and it was 15.4 percent for the United States.[31][33]
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Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Racine Unified School District' 'Wisconsin'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Racine Unified School District | Wisconsin | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Racine Unified School District, "Official Proceedings," October 27, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Journal Times, "Election filings, Racine County school boards," January 6, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Journal Times, "GAB decides Ni'A on, Biemeck off Unified school board ballot," January 22, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 CBS 58, "Walker signs bill allowing Racine School District President to fill Board Vacancies," October 23, 2015
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Wisconsin Candidate Eligibility," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Candidates: Getting on the Ballot," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin State Legislature, "State Statutes: CHAPTER 8," accessed September 22, 2014
- ↑ The Journal Times, "Voter Guide 2016," accessed January 12, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Campaign Finance Report Dates 2016, 2017 and 2018," accessed January 25, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin AFL-CIO, "2016 Spring Election Candidate Endorsements," March 10, 2016
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 The Journal Times, "Journal Times editorial: Journal Times endorses eight candidates for Racine Unified School Board," April 3, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Nick Katers, "Email exchange with John Heckenlively," February 12, 2016]
- ↑ Nick Katers, "Email exchange with Patricia Meyer," April 1, 2016]
- ↑ Wisconsin State Legislature, "Campaign Financing," accessed January 25, 2016
- ↑ The Journal Times, "Unified to respond to election challenges," January 11, 2016
- ↑ The Journal Times, "No Unified candidates booted from ballot," January 12, 2016
- ↑ The Journal Times, "Unified unions plan to appeal to GAB," January 15, 2016
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 The Journal Times, "Racine Unified secret ballot vote was apparent violation of state law," July 17, 2015
- ↑ The Journal Times, "Unified School Board will again try to pick a new member," July 6, 2015
- ↑ Racine Unified School District, "Official Proceedings: July 7, 2015," July 7, 2015
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 The Journal Times, "Tiebreaker: Hargrove Appoints John Koetz to School Board," October 26, 2015
- ↑ The Journal Times, "State legislature eyes changing Unified board, related to separation movement," May 20, 2015
- ↑ The Journal Times, "Committee to draw Racine Unified voting boundaries," August 31, 2015
- ↑ The Journal Times, "Proposals carve Racine Unified into nine voting areas," October 3, 2015
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 26.4 26.5 Journal Times, "Union leaders slam Haws for how proposed handbook changes were released," April 15, 2015
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 Journal Times, "RUSD: Changes to help students, teachers," April 14, 2015
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 The Journal Times, "5-4 vote to maintain unions' role in school handbook process," May 18, 2015
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 The Journal Times, "School board members shun meeting, prevent voting," August 17, 2015
- ↑ The Journal Times, "School board members dash out of meeting before vote on teacher wages," August 20, 2015
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 31.4 United States Census Bureau, "Racine County, Wisconsin," accessed July 6, 2015
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 United States Census Bureau, "State & County QuickFacts: USA," accessed July 6, 2015
- ↑ Racine County Clerk, "Past elections," accessed February 5, 2014
